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The Nam
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63 posts in this topic

Hi averybody :hi: First I want to apologize because of my poor English :blush:

 

I am surprised that I could not find a thread dedicated to this series. I think this is one of the comic runs with the highest quality which are coming out in 80`s and the early 90`s.

 

One of the main advantages is its authenticity. Writer Doug Murray is a war veteran and recreated much of his own experiences and those of his vet comrades.

 

The concept of "real time" comic run is just great. Unlike the super heroe`s comic books, here everything takes place in real time. The plot of every issue is set in 1 month, just as long as the time period between the next issue.

The characters are changed at regular intervals of time and this allows authors to kill some of them, as this inevitably happens during the war. This way he avoids the invulnerability which we observe in the super heroe`s comic books in which "good" always win and (almost) never die :devil:

 

Since I live in Eastern Europe, the topic of the Vietnam War is known mainly thanks to the cinema and films like "Apocalypse Now". This comic made me look for more materials about the theme. The more I read, the more convinced in how authentic transmitted the story is. I think it could even be used as supporting material in the history lessons at school.

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Welcome To The Boards!!!!! (thumbs u

 

Yes, "The 'Nam" is a good read, I haven't read all of them, but I had the first 12 issues or so. It was a well received comic at the time. I used to know Michael Golden, and thought he was an incredible artist, and i think he drew the 1st 13 issues or so????

 

Glad you are enjoying American Funny Books, and your English seems perfect to me, so come back any time you want. (thumbs u

 

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Welcome To The Boards!!!!! (thumbs u

 

Yes, "The 'Nam" is a good read, I haven't read all of them, but I had the first 12 issues or so. It was a well received comic at the time. I used to know Michael Golden, and thought he was an incredible artist, and i think he drew the 1st 13 issues or so????

 

Glad you are enjoying American Funny Books, and your English seems perfect to me, so come back any time you want. (thumbs u

 

Thanks for the kind words (thumbs u

 

Yes, Michael Golden drew the first 13 issues. He was succeeded by Wayne Vansant.

 

In one of his interviews, Doug Murray said that "The Nam" was selling over 300 000 issues per month and was Marvel`s 2nd or 3rd best selling book.

 

I am one book (#48) short for completing the whole run of 84 issues. Collecting comic books outside the USA is pretty hard hobby, but I love it :headbang:

Edited by comics_ross
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It is a good series, and still affordable too :)

 

 

That series was much more expensive over it's first 6 months than now. I really enjoyed it during the Golden run but lost interest soon after. The book was seriously hot over the first year.

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WTTB!!! :applause:

What Country is home to you?

Your English appears to be just fine btw! (Probably better than mine!!)

 

I just started getting into Nam a little bit ago, my reasons were like those you listed. (one issue equaled one month "real-time" & that two Vietnam Vets were at the helm - seemed like a cool thing)

I'm on #8 or #9 right now and I have to say it has been a good read. (thumbs u

 

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WTTB!!! :applause:

What Country is home to you?

Your English appears to be just fine btw! (Probably better than mine!!)

 

I just started getting into Nam a little bit ago, my reasons were like those you listed. (one issue equaled one month "real-time" & that two Vietnam Vets were at the helm - seemed like a cool thing)

I'm on #8 or #9 right now and I have to say it has been a good read. (thumbs u

 

Thanks, mate (thumbs u

 

I am from Bulgaria. A little country with the most beautiful women and no one comic magazine :headbang:

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It started pretty well but died a slow death and really jumped the shark with The Punisher appearences, iirc.

 

A much better read was Apples "Vietnam Journal", but getting that run can be a challange.

I had both series at one point, and I have to say The Nam was much more focused on the reality of the military behind-the-scenes.

 

When they showed scenarios like the First Sergeant controlling the lives of the troops and being the real boss when not in combat, this is the real deal. Not to say all First Sergeants are dirty or manipulative - they're not. But what they say goes, and most company commanders will follow their advice. It really showed how Doug Murray was trying to bring the reality of military life into comics, and what it was like even outside of combat situations. What happened later on when Murray left was just a shame.

 

I've always wanted to track down a Savage Tales 1 Vol. 2 with the 1st Nam story, "The 5th of the 1st."

 

Not to take away from Vietnam Journal, which was also a good read. I just seemed to get more out of those early issues as an active duty soldier at the time, and could relate to the language and scenarios shown even in a peacetime Army.

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I guess different people reacted differently to the different series. I had an Army Reserve unit( 423rd MP brigagade of the 77th ARCOM) located yards from my store, and a Marine Detachment about a mile away. Many service members came in to pick up copies of The Nam due to the extensive publicity but most dropped it after a few issues. A much smaller number picked up Veitnam Journal, and another comic called In Country, but they seemed more enthused by them.

I haven't read either in years, though I did recently read the first Nam story in Savage Tales.

Edited by shadroch
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A little country with the most beautiful women and no one comic magazine :headbang:

 

The first part of this sentence is largely true. Bulgarian women are gorgeous. :cloud9:

 

The second part is just disappointing. Not even one comics magazine? There is no comics scene in Bulgaria? :o

 

 

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I am surprised that I could not find a thread dedicated to this series. I think this is one of the comic runs with the highest quality which are coming out in 80`s and the early 90`s.

 

One of the main advantages is its authenticity. Writer Doug Murray is a war veteran and recreated much of his own experiences and those of his vet comrades.

 

Welcome to the boards.

 

Nam was great at the beginning but when Golden left, my interest went away. Back in those days, I was still more of an artist driven comic reader.

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A little country with the most beautiful women and no one comic magazine :headbang:

 

The first part of this sentence is largely true. Bulgarian women are gorgeous. :cloud9:

 

The second part is just disappointing. Not even one comics magazine? There is no comics scene in Bulgaria? :o

 

 

We use to have one great magazine - "Daga" (Rainbow), but this was before almost 20 years. You could see some of the issues here http://issuu.com/razkazivkartinki .

 

We have some really great artists (no need to mention Alex Maleev :applause:), but unfortunately they work for foreign publishers and game or cinema studios.

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